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READ: TAKEAWAYS FROM KOETTER
Those looking through the Buccaneers' roster page last week may have noticed something a bit out of the ordinary – center Evan Dietrich-Smith is now listed as Evan Smith.
Why the change? On Monday, Smith explained the decision to drop "Dietrich" from his name to media members at One Buccaneer Place in Tampa.
"I actually really started going by Dietrich to kind of honor my brother when he was in the Army," Smith said. "Our name was so long that all they could put on the patch was 'Dietrich'. That was one of those things more of to just kind of honor him being in the service and all that kind of stuff."
Smith first added Dietrich, his mother's maiden name, to his last name during his senior year in college. Dietrich-Smith had been his legal name, but he hadn't gone by it up until then.
On Monday, Smith said that he he wanted to make the change back while his daugher was still young.
"I have to write it," he added. "I didn't want my daughter to have to deal with it her whole life. I went by Evan Smith for a really long time so it's nothing new to me. It's pretty much new to everyone else because nobody knew that beforehand."
He is now one of four Buccaneers with the last name Smith, joined by Head Coach Lovie Smith, defensive end Jacquies Smith and offensive tackle Donovan Smith.
Photos of QB Jameis Winston at Buccaneers rookie mini-camp.
